Kizil Cave 175: Figures Making Offerings

CHINA, Xinjiang, Aksu

Located on the inner wall of the left corridor, this painting is divided into two rows. Eight monks making offerings are painted in the upper row. Standing barefoot, the monks wear monastic robes which bare their right shoulders as each forms a different mudra. The monks’ right shoulders and muscles are painted with an exaggerated wash method, whereas the folds of the robes are outlined with fine ink lines.
There are five figures in the lower row: a Bodhisattva in the center, with two female donors in lay outfits on either side. The female donors, elegantly dressed, have graceful and charming postures and seem to be of Kuchean nobility. Such an arrangement of a Bodhisattva with figures making offerings is rarely seen.